237 - Sydney

The bride just had to go back to Cronulla. A puberty blues time era

Sydney, was all about visiting my son Mark, his wife Heidi, and two grand kids Emma and Sam, plus the brides youngest brother Barry, his wife Vicki and their adult kids, Haylee and Matt. Also a must catch up with the brides great mate Sandy and her husband Darren.  She has been mates with them, since her teenage years.

A pikkie of me in fore ground

Can you see me surfing down there....... hu!

Just had to go to Sand Shoes for a surf as well. Can ya see me there too?

I will say however the road network on our part of the trip was just magnificent. Dual highway from Katoomba, 110 km speed limit, and very easy to find our way around. Yes the GPS did help. So all in all, a trip I was dreading, was made quite enjoyable, if you can call driving in Sydney enjoyable.

For the first two nights we stayed with the Brides younger brother Barry, his gorgeous wife Vicki, and Haylee (daughter) did give up her room for us. Matt their son an unbelievable musician, popped in occasionally. The kids if I can call them that 26 and 24, do what we all did at that age. Even back when I was that age, I was still at home, however only dropped in occasionally. That’s what you do, nothing changes!

Vicki, the sister in law, Barry the youngest brother and the bride

Of course the bride being a former Cronulla girl, we had to go to the beach, go for a walk, reminisce. Well that was enough for me. Even the bride said Cronulla and the shire is nothing like what it used to be……………………………well things do change, they have to, but unfortunately for the worst.

Traffic was horrendous, wall to wall people, all rushing here there and everywhere. While we were down walking around the beach area, there was an invasion from all these school  kids from western Sydney. That was different, couldn’t understand a word they were saying. Their uniform was foreign to me also, not how I see school kids going to school. I guess this is the direction of Sydney. Glad I am not part of it.

We did also catch up with the brides great mate Sandy and her husband Darren.  She has been mates with them, since her teenage years. So you can imagine lots of catching up to do.

The brides mates Darren and Sandra. Over 45 years of friendship

The final night in Sydney we spent at my sons place at Engadine.  So you can imagine lots of catching up after a four year absence. Emma (grand daughter) has grown into a charming young lady, and Sam their son, who we haven’t seen since birth, is a full on, super powerful, very lovable maniac. What a terror, but he is a mass of energy, and a very normal four and half year old.  My camera ran out of battery, most annoying.

The Sydney based grand children. Sam on the bike and Emma

After a great BBQ and a thousand glasses of red, we all retired for the night, waking the following morning with a breath that would kill a drovers dog, the smell being generated from the armpits was pure chateau d cardboard, bleeding from the eyes that would be welcomed from the blood bank, and a head like its been in the Sydney sewer since federation.

But that’s what you do when seeing family. We said our goodbyes on the Sunday morning, hoping our next visit won't be a four year absence. Fired up the Val and yep just a back track from our original down journey. However being a Sunday, a lot more traffic, and it seems all heading to Katoomba. Once out of the tourist traffic.